Start the day with Hippo! Hippo is ready for his day, rain or shine. In this sweet little story for babies and toddlers, little ones will go through Hippo's daily routine of checking the weather, brushing teeth, getting dressed and playing outside. Filled with bold and cheerful illustrations, this is a cute everyday routine book for the youngest readers. This book is part of the Kika's First Books series, created by Altan for his young child. Kika's First Books are celebrating their 40th anniversary with new publications in English after being loved in Italy for generations. These sweet little books make excellent read alouds for the youngest listeners. Kika's First Books explore common childhood themes and experiences and are lots of fun for little ones. Xist Publishing is proud to present the Kika's First Books to a new generation of children. By bringing beloved stories from diverse cultures to new audiences, Xist Publishing celebrates childhood in all its beautiful forms. We hope your children will enjoy these stories and discover a lifetime love of reading and love for all the people and creatures of the world.

"When I woke up I was a Hippopotamus! Yawning in the morning, I raised up my sleepy head, then took one look out of the window and got straight back into bed." A little boy transforms into different creatures as his moods change throughout the day, until finally he goes a little too far and discovers his parents have transformed too!

Breakfast is cooking.There's the sun. Hay! Wake up! The day's begun

The reader is invited to wake up the farm animals and join in with their noisy waking-up song. Pictures have flaps to lift with surprises underneath.

Spirituality.The search for happiness --Religion, East and West --Mindfulness --The truth of suffering --Enlightenment --The mystery of consciousness.The mind divided --Structure and function --Are our minds already split? --Conscious and unconscious processing in the brain --Consciousness is what matters --The riddle of the self.What are we calling "I"? --Consciousness without self --Lost in thought --The challenge of studying the self --Penetrating the illusion --Meditation.Gradual versus sudden realization --Dzogchen: taking the goal as the path --Having no head --The paradox of acceptance --Gurus, death, drugs, and other puzzles.Mind on the brink of death --The spiritual uses of pharmacology.

“Entertaining…A storytime hit.” —School Library Journal “Young listeners will be pleased to make the acquaintance of these two cheerful creatures and, quite possibly, inspired to view the world in engaging new ways.” —Kirkus Reviews “Though they see the world differently and are such physical opposites…their open acceptance of each other’s point of view shows they share the most important quality needed for meaningful connection.” —The Horn Book Mouse creates a painting for his new friend Hippo—and Hippo returns the kindness in an unlikely way—in this delightful story about doing your best to make a friend happy! Mouse offers to paint a portrait of his new friend Hippo, but Hippo doesn’t quite fit on Mouse’s canvas. Still Hippo is delighted. In return, Hippo returns the favor for his new friend in the best way he knows how. In a surprising story sure to cause giggles, picture book readers will ask for this book over and over again!

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